This invention relates to uniform spray dispersion products and systems for oil and water based products, and more particularly, to dispersion systems for obtaining a wide, uniform spray of oil and water based products for food-related use.
During the last several years, substantial attention has been paid to food related products in general, and the cooking industry in particular. In this regard, substantial attention has been devoted to products used to coat surfaces of cooking utensils, such as for baking, frying, sauteing, etc. In this regard, substantial attention has been paid in an attempt to develop a product capable of meeting consumer demand for a healthy, low calorie product which is also capable of providing wide, uniformly dispersed spray coating on the surface being employed.
Typically, the surface of the cooking pot, pan, utensil, grill, etc. is manually coated with a release agent or sprayed with a release agent contained in a squeeze bottle, low pressure finger actuated pump, or aerosol container. However, the use of these prior art products typically results in the release agent being dispensed in discontinuous, non-uniform xe2x80x9cspitsxe2x80x9d of product, or in dribbles of product. As a result, a raw, uneven spray pattern is typically achieved, which has caused these products to be commercially unacceptable.
In addition, the formulations of these pan release sprays often incorporate ingredients which health oriented consumers wish to avoid. Consequently, many of these release products are not employed by such consumers due to their perceived deleterious health effects.
One product which has successfully overcome many of the major objections found in the prior art is taught in Stoltz U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,455,055 and 5,650,185. In the disclosure found in these patents, a non-aqueous, vegetable oil, liquid lecithin and ethanol composition is taught which is dispensed from a unique non-aerosol type container, achieving a cooking spray with substantially enhanced release properties as well as spray characteristics. However, in spite of the commercial success of this product in its ability to overcome many of the prior art difficulties, the caloric level of this product has not satisfied all health conscious individuals.
In the formulation employed in these prior art patents, as well as in numerous other prior art disclosures, lecithin is employed as a principal ingredient. The use of lecithin is well known and widely employed in a variety of products for varying purposes. Lecithin which occurs in just about all living cells is a natural phospholipid. Lecithin has been used for years as a lipophilic (fat or oil loving) emulsifying agent. In the trade lecithin is classified as an oil in water (O/W) emulsifier. The role of lecithin has changed in recent years due to many chemical modifications to become more useful to industry as dispersion and wetting agents, and lubricants, as well as their enate emulsifying properties. The source for commercial lecithin in its may forms is the soybean.
Lecithin is a complex mixture of insoluble phospholipids consisting of phosphatidycholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylinositol (PI), and phosphatidic acid (PA) combined with other triglycerides. Whereas, the fluid or liquid lecithins contain almost 40% triglycerides, new de-oiled, powder lecithins has been developed which contain an average of only 3% triglycerides. With the triglycerides or oily portion of lecithin removed, the percentage of glycolipids, PC, PE, PI and PA have increased in the de-oiled powder lecithin to render them water dispersible.
Historically, lecithins were predominately thick liquids having an amber to dark brown color. Liquid lecithin is not soluble or even dispersible in water. However, lecithins have undergone considerable chemical changes to be now commercially available as a dry, free-flowing powder and above all to be easily dispersed in water.
Lecithin has become a common chemical commodity that has been used in different industries as an emulsifying agent, for example. Lecithin is used in baked goods, sauces, marinades, instant drink mixes, snack foods, chewing gum and as a cooking spray pan release agent. Lecithin is used in a variety of personal products such as skin lotions, lipstick or even health foods for its choline amino acid content. In the present invention, lecithins surface active properties acts as a highly effective pan release agent.
In spite of the extensive use that has been made of lecithin in numerous prior art products, no pan release formulation has been developed which is capable of satisfying all of the consumer demands for a universally acceptable pan release spray product and delivery system. However, the present invention has been capable of meeting this demand and long felt need.
By employing the present invention, all of the prior art difficulties and drawbacks have been overcome, and a pan release spray formulation and delivery system has been realized which is capable of providing a wide, uniform, dispersed spray pattern using a formulation which is water-based, thereby substantially reducing the caloric level of the composition. In attaining this composition and formulation, a unique combination of ingredients has been developed.
In accordance with the present invention, a highly effective, uniform, widely dispersed, pan release spray product is achieved by combining water, lecithin, and oil as the three principal ingredients. Preferably, between about 30% and 60% by weight based upon the weight of the entire composition comprises water, while between about 40% and 60% by weight based upon the weight of the entire composition comprises oil. Completing the formulation is lecithin, which comprises between about 2% and 12% by weight based upon the weight of the entire composition.
Although the combination of these quantities of water and oil is typically avoided in most formulation, due to the inability of oil and water to be intermixed with each other, in the present invention, it has been discovered that the oil and water combination along with the lecithin produces a substantially uniform stable emulsion. In the composition of the present invention, all of the ingredients remain fully dispersed with each other, even after long periods of storage. Consequently, in spite of the contrary teaching found in the prior art, the present invention has found that this combination of ingredients produces a unique formulation, capable of achieving results previously believed to be unattainable.
One of the principal ingredients incorporated into the pan release formulation of the present invention is a newly developed, de-oiled, powdered lecithin. As detailed herein, the de-oiled, powdered lecithin is water miscible and, in accordance with this invention, is blended with relatively high percentages of water and vegetable oil to form an oil in water stable emulsion that exhibits superior pan release properties, as compared to the liquid lecithin type product.
The oil in water emulsion of the present invention is also easily formulated with a variety of blending agents to make flavorful salad dressings, marinades, and pet flavor enhancing products, as a non-aerosol, finger pump based product or as an aerosol product. Furthermore, the use of relatively high concentrations of water in these new no-stick cooking sprays, substantially reduces the caloric levels, as compared to oil-based, non-aqueous products. In this way, a principal requirement of the consuming public is satisfied.
One important characteristic of the new, de-oiled, powered lecithin is its HLB (Hydrophilic to Lipophilic Balance) value. The HLB value or scale was developed many years ago to measure the relative solubility of surface active agents in water and oil. The HLB scale ranges from 0-15 indicating oil solubility at the lower end and water solubility at the high end of the scale.
The HLB value for liquid lecithin is 4.0 (Lipophilic), while the new, de-oiled powder lecithins range from 8.0 to 10.0 (more hydrophilic). At this level, these lecithins can be classified as water dispersible. The HLB value of dry lecithin now allows one to utilize a large percentage of water, that was not possible with the other liquid lecithin, together with vegetable oil and other blending agents to form a stable oil in water emulsion.
From an economic standpoint, the use of water, vegetable oil and dry lecithin plus the necessary blending agents insures a lower manufacturing cost over the non-aqueous oil based products. In these formulations using dry lecithin allows us to replace a good portion of a vegetable oil, such as canola, soybean, corn, olive, peanut, safflower, etc., with de-ionized water that results in a lower manufacturing cost.
There are several dry, powder lecithins to chose from depending upon its chemical properties useful to the end product produced. These dry lecithin products are produced by Central Soya Company, Ft. Wayne, Ind., and marketed as Precept(trademark) Lecithins. Central Soya produces dry hydroxlated lecithins as Precept # 8120 that has a HLB value of 10.0. Precept # 8120 has good emulsion stability and is the most hydrophilic of the powder lecithins. Dry enzyme modified lecithin treated with phospholipase enzyme, gives Precept # 8160 a HLB value of 9.0 and good water dispersibility. Another Precept lecithin is # 8140 with a HLB value of 8.0, which resists darkening upon heating, has a faint bland taste, and is preferred for use as a pan release and/or cooking spray products. Although Precept # 8140 is preferred, all of the Precept products may be employed in pan released and/or cooking spray products.
Typical pan release products found in the prior art contains 2.0 to 8.0% liquid lecithin in a vegetable oil base. For optimum use, we have found that 2.8 to 3.0% liquid lecithin in either an aerosol or non-aerosol formulation is an acceptable pan release agent as detailed in the Stoltz patents described above. In the present invention, cooking spray with pan release properties, using a combination of a vegetable oil in a water base, generally requires from 2.0% to 12% by weight based upon the weight of the entire composition of dry powder lecithin, with a preferred range being between about 3.0% and 9.0% by weight based upon the weight of the entire composition. As shown below in the following examples, wherein formulations for both pressurized aerosol and non-aerosol pump type pan release sprays are fully detailed, a range of between 4.0% and 8.0% by weight based upon the weight of the entire composition of dry lecithin is optional for providing superior pan release properties over the conventional liquid lecithin based products.
To illustrate our surprising pan release results, the following aerosol and non-aerosol formulations are provided: